Bullet train connecting Houston to Dallas to break ground

Texas Central’s goal is to break ground at the end of 2017 on the nation’s first bullet train connecting Houston to Dallas.

Texas Central’s goal is to break ground at the end of 2017 on the nation’s first bullet train connecting Houston to Dallas.

Bullet train connecting Houston to Dallas to break ground

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Texas does big things.

Texas Central Partners, LLC (Texas Central), a private company that is leading the bullet train project coming to Texas, is developing a new high-speed passenger rail system that will connect Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth.

Texas Central held a railroad update Tuesday, June 7, at the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce. The bullet train will be the first high-speed rail the country has ever seen. Travel time on the train will be 90 minutes between Houston and Dallas with one stop in between in the Brazos Valley area. The high-speed rail will be beneficial to the nearly 50,000 Texans who travel back and forth between Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth more than once a week.

The bullet train is Japanese technology that Texas Central will be purchasing. The technology is one of the safest in the world. The train has never had a crash or fatality due to operations and has been running for over 50 years in Japan. The train has moved tens of billions of people every year, and the average annual delay is less than one minute.

“The train never crosses a road, and there are no cars waiting on trains. Also there are no trains intersecting the cars, and no whistles or horn on the train,” said Holly Reed, managing director of external affairs at Texas Central. “That’s how you get reliability and safety. There’s one track going north and one track going south, so you never have trains going opposite directions.”

Out of 97 city pairs studied across the nation, Houston/Dallas came out on top as the most feasible place for the high-speed rail project to be deployed. Texas Central believes the Houston/Dallas city pair is the best option for the train because there is growth in both cities and demand going in both directions. Also, the path is straight and relatively flat and far enough apart for the high-speed rail project.

There will be approximately 10,000 jobs per year for creating and building the high-speed rail project. Once the train is in full operation, there will be 1,000 new high-tech jobs.

Not everyone is excited for the nation to see the first ever high-speed rail built in Texas.

State Rep. Cecil Bell launched the Texas High Speed Rail Calculator. It is a publicly available tool that the state representative claims measures the profit and loss of the proposed high-speed rail. Bell believes that the calculator gives Texans the direct access to determine the train's viability.

“I’m not inherently opposed to any private project. I am saying that it does not look economically viable, and if it’s not economically viable, it is only intended to become a subsidized endeavor,” said Bell. “I don’t believe that Texas properties should be taken or private properties should be taken. I don’t believe taxpayers’ dollars should go to fund the endeavor. It’s a big amusement park ride. That’s what it is.”

Texas Central has challenged the accuracy of Representative Bell’s calculator. Texas Central will not be using taxpayer’s money for the bullet train, which is a private sector project. Texas Central has put this information on paper and submitted it to the federal government for the review process.

Others in the community do believe the bullet train is needed and is the best option for Texans’ mobility.

“Our roads are far too congested, and the hyper-growth we are experiencing is making it even worse. Texas is in a position where we must get creative and find better ways for people to get around the state and the major cities,” said Craig Day, a supporter of the high-speed rail. “When an option like this comes up and is well thought out and has contingencies planned for all outcomes, so the state does not have to worry about taking it over later; we need to support and make it happen. It is imperative that this project happen and that Texans use it as a better option than driving or even flying.”

There will be a $10 billion direct project investment through 2040 and $36 billion in cumulative project impact (including indirect investment) through 2040. The estimated tax revenue impact is $2.5 billion cumulative tax revenue to be paid by Texas Central.

“The project is privately financed, and it will take no government’s operating subsidies and no grants for construction. Any entity that the project touches will pay taxes into that,” said Reed. “So, it is different than most public infrastructure projects where we have done public projects and partnerships. It is a private endeavor, and it will pay taxes.”

The first full year of operations is projected to be in 2022. Texas Central does not want to speculate on ticket prices but will be offering competitive priced tickets.

Texas Central will be considering factors with pricing tickets dependent upon booking in advance, last minute, peak time, and off peak time. The Brazos area stop will be in between College Station and Huntsville. There might be possible student pricing for the 80,000 students that are in the Brazos Valley area which includes serving students attending Texas A&M, Blinn, and Sam Houston.

“Today the project can be built and move forward under the existing Texas Law of the Land. There are no changes that need to be made at the Texas legislature,” said Reed. “There are heavy regulatory requirements because it is a railroad and that deals with public safety.”

The train travels 200 miles per hour and is all 2 by 2 seating, which is similar to a first-class airline experience. The bullet train will be the widest body passenger train in operation and will be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. Amenities such as Wi-Fi and comfortable seating will also be offered.

Even though Texas Central hasn’t purchased the land for the station yet, several sites are under consideration in that northwest area. The Houston area station will be in the area at 610 between 290 and I-10. The location will be in the northwest mall area and METRO Northwest Transit Center area. The Dallas station will be just south of downtown near the Southside of Lamar. During peak times the train will leave every 30 minutes. Off peak times the train will leave approximately every hour.

Texas Central is exploring its options for elevating the train. The possibility of the bullet train being elevated by concrete viaducts is an option. For those concerned about wildlife, fences or barriers will be implemented to protect animals.

Texas Central believes that there will be a positive environmental impact from taking people off of congested highways and having them ride the train. The positive impact will be on Texas’ air quality.

Texas Central is looking to work with the Federal Railroad Administration for their Rule of Particular Applicability (RPA) because currently there are no rules on how to run the railroad at 200 miles per hour.

The company has listed the first round of investors for the high-speed rail project as former Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane, Jr. of Houston, Jack Matthews of Dallas, and John Kleinheinz of Fort Worth.

Texas Central’s goal is to break ground on the nation’s first high-speed rail at the end of next year.

“Roads will always be the backbone of how people get around, but this is a project that can take some of that congestion off of roads. Once it is built, you just add capacity by running trains more frequently,” said Reed. “The project is an efficient way of land use.”